Celebrating progress
Conference centers on human development

Katie Colleran | staff editor
kcolleran@smcvt.edu

Well-respected members of the national Catholic community converged on the St. Michael’s College campus last week to participate in a conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical, Populorum Progressio. Held by the Edmundite Center for Faith and Culture, “The Development of Peoples: Achieving Millennium Goals,” took place on Oct. 17 and 18.

Dr. Edward Mahoney addresses the crowd at the conference opening. Katie Colleran, photo

Pope Paul VI wrote Populorum Progressio in 1967 to address the
issue of human development. The conference examined how far the world has come since the encyclical was written and also to tie the pope’s letter to the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations (U.N.) in 2007.

Charting progress

Organized by Dr. Edward Mahoney, director of the Center for Faith and Culture, the conference was comprised of speakers who addressed the relevance of Populorum Progressio in today’s world. Among the esteemed guests were professors, priests and the papal nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Celestino Migliore.

As the Vatican’s representative to the U.N., Archbishop Migliore
spoke on how the Catholic Church views progress. The Church does not offer a technical solution to underdevelopment, but does evaluate, judge and assess, the Archbishop says.

“We have to treat people not as targets or recipients, but as protagonists of their own development,” Archbishop Migliore says.

Approaches to development have transformed over the years, through Marxism and Communism, but the ideas put forth in Populorum Progressio are still applicable to today’s world, the Archbishop says.

“Populorum Progressio uses the concept of authentic development, development to promote the good of every person as part of the development process,” he says.

A number of Catholic organizations who work on implementing the Church’s idea of development were represented as well.

Maureen McCullough, Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) regional director for the Northeast, accepted the invitation to the conference because it offered a chance to reflect upon an important encyclical, she says.

CRS conducts development work in 99 countries and models its work on the reflection of human development. The conference gave McCullough a look at how others view progress, she says.

“The speakers who were invited are incredibly knowledgeable,” McCullough says. “All of the talks have been a good opportunity for conversation and reflection.”

In her own talk, McCullough spoke about CRS and its own evolution after having its work in Rwanda completely wrecked. CRS recognized a need for change and now focuses not only on providing aid, but also on the role of justice in the lives of those they assist, Mcullough says.

“Our faith, our true faiths, calls us to something beyond an institutionalized structure,” she says. “It calls us to a humanity, to a relationship.”

Spotlighting social issues of the day

The Center for Faith and Culture hosts a conference every year. The topic for this one came from conversations Mahoney had with prominent members of the Catholic community, he says.

“We sometimes look for themes that deal with significant anniversaries,” Mahoney says. “This encyclical was ground-breaking because the Pope suggested that development in a country did not signify full human development.”

Archbishop Celestino Migliore serves as papal nuncio, the Pope's representative. Katie Colleran, photo

Speakers who had a background in the advancement of human development and could connect their information to the encyclical and the Millennium Development Goals were the main feature of the conference.

“A lot of the speakers were selected through consulting with and talking with people deeply involved with corporate social responsibility and human development,” Mahoney says.

Each of the 31 speakers and presenters were sent an invitation to attend the conference, even the Archbishop, who replied to a letter. Archbishop Migliore was a key speaker because he regularly addresses the U.N. on topics that include the Church’s support of the Millennium Development Goals, Mahoney says.

“He [Archbishop Migliore] is the point person for the Vatican to the international community at the United Nations,” Mahoney says. “He is a key figure in articulating the Church’s position on issues of war, peace, development and violence.” 

The eight Millennium Development Goals, which include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education, helped make the encyclical and its message more current for the conference’s audience, Mahoney says.  

“Very simply, there are millions and millions of people around the world who are impoverished and starving, lacking basics,” he says. “Developed nations have a responsibility to address the needs of the poorest people around the globe.” 

Putting faith to work

Along with the invited guests, faculty and students were welcome to attend the conference events. Junior Valerie Dillner took advantage of this chance because the conference tied together faith and helping people, two things she is passionate about, she says.

Conference guests enjoy lunch in the Green Mountain Dining Room. Katie Colleran, photo

“I enjoyed the pairing of the theology of the Catholic Church and the action of going out and really helping people,” Dillner says. “Studying at a Catholic college, we should prepare for the future in a way that reflects our faith.”

Speaking with guests and conference attendees afterward, Mahoney was pleased with all of the positive feedback he heard, he says.

"Anyone I spoke to was pleased and impressed with the opportunity to interact with all the speakers and panelist," Mahoney says. "All in all, I think it was a real success."